Strength of Pain
by Sango Hikari
Summary: Hitsugaya stands in the rain, blood dripping down his Zanpakuto. Who has he killed, and what will he pay to bring her back? A HitsuHina fic. Now complete!
1. Remembrance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach. If I did, I would make Ishida stand on his head and cluck like a chicken while wearing a pink dress.

As a quick note, -taichou means captain. So Hitsugaya-taichou means Captain Hitsugaya

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Blood. 

It dripped down the sword of the Tenth Division Captain, staining its bright blade. Hitsugaya Toushiro's eyes were open wide as he stared at the crumpled body in front of him. _No,_ he thought. _It's not possible…I couldn't have…killed her…_ Tears began to form in his eyes; he, who hardly ever showed any emotion at all, was crying. Or, at least, the closest he had ever come to it. _How could this have happened?_ No, he knew how it had happened. It was all because of Aizen.

Aizen Sousuke, the former captain of the Fifth Division. Respected by all, it caused quite the uproar when he was found hanging from a building with a sword in his chest. The one affected the most by his death was his vice-captain, Hinamori Momo, who loved and admired him to the point that she would die for him.

Hinamori, as well as Hitsugaya, was nearly killed by him. Staging his death, using the ryoka that entered Sould Society as a diversion for his real plot…Aizen and his accomplices had thought out their plan very well, being sure to include every small detail. What their true purpose was, no one was quite sure, but they showed no mercy to those who had stood in their way. It had been a miracle that the two had survived his attack, as their clothes had been stained with so much of their own blood.

While Hiysugaya had recovered completely, however, Hinamori had not. She had lain asleep in her bed in the Fouth Division's quarters for three months after the incident. Although all her physical wounds had healed, she was still deep in the coma that she had been in ever since the incident. No matter what anyone said or did, she would not wake up.

The question was: why? Nothing appeared wrong; all the monitors that she was hooked up to said she was perfectly healthy. Even Unohana, the captain of the Fourth Division and an expert in all aspects of medicine, was stumped as to why her condition would not improve. The only thing she could come up with was that it was all in her mind, and, for some reason, Hinamori did not want to wake up.

The emotional stress of being betrayed by the man whom you had admired and looked up to was something no one could even begin to comprehend. All the trust and hope she had placed in him was shattered in an instant. Even Hitsugaya, who had known her since childhood and wanted nothing more than to share her pain, could not, for he could not grasp the feeling of despair that she must have been feeling.

The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months. All other injuries that were received by Aizen and his crew had long since healed, leaving an unspoken question hovering over their heads. Would she ever wake up? In Soul Society, they were constantly reminded of death. After all, this was where souls were sent after they died in the human world. But the Shinigami were different. When they died, where did their souls go? For they were not human, and didn't go to Rukongai like other souls. No, death in Seireitei was different. When you died as a Shinigami, your soul was lost.

The thought of losing Hinamori was unbearable; she, who had always been by his side since childhood, and then was stolen away by Aizen. Aizen, who only used her and then tossed her away when she was no longer useful to him. The mere thought of him made Hitsugaya want to chase the bastard to the end of the world just to kill him.

So, when he sat in her room gently holding her limp hand and saw her eyes slowly open, no words could describe the feelings of relief that spread throughout his body. His joy quickly disappeared when he saw her eyes, however: they were blank and lifeless, as if her spirit had been drained from them.

"Hinamori…? Hitsugaya whispered, still clasping her hand in his. The Fifth Division Vice-Captain slowly sat up in her medical bed, knocking off all the wires that had been attached to her body to track her health. She sat, unblinking, unmoving, as if she were waiting for something. After a moment, she turned and faced Hitsugaya. The young captain said her name again, but was met only by the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. A second later, Tobiume came flying towards him. The Zanpakuto cut the arm that was holding her hand. Hitsugaya instinctively jumped away from the bed, blood dripping from his arm.

"Hinamori, what-?" he began, only to have the sword come at him again. He dodged the attack, and stared at the normally shy girl before him. It was not Hinamori. This girl had a strong desire to kill written on her face, her vacant eyes narrowed and he her brow furrowed angrily. No, this was not the girl that he had grown up with; she wasn't the friend that he had laughed with through his childhood. This was someone different.

"Unohana-taichou!" Hitsugaya yelled, as he dodged yet another of Hinamori's attacks. With one last glance at her, he ran out the door and into the hallway, where he bumped into the Fourth Division captain—literally.

"What is it, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Unohana asked with concern.

"It's Hinamori…she's…" he began, but before he could finish, Hinamori came racing out of her room, Zanpakuto in hand. She had one goal in mind: Hitsugaya.

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Well, here's the first part of 'Strength of Pain.' Interesting title, huh? It'll make sense later. I hope. Anyway, please review so I know if people are actually reading this, and if I should continue it. Arigatou! 


	2. Death

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach. If I did, I would have Byakuya fall in love with a banana.

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The look in Hinamori's eyes needed no further explanation from Hitsugaya. Unohana gasped when she saw the look of empty hatred on the young vice-captain's face. The look of anger wasn't aimed at the medical expert of the Fourth Division. No, she was focused only on her beloved Shirou-chan, who's piercing eyes wavered under her fierce gaze.

"What's going on?" Unohana asked, regaining her confidence. She shot a questioning look at Hitsugaya, who just gave her a sad, confused look.

"I…I don't know," he whispered. "I was visiting her, when she suddenly woke up and attacked me." He gaze drifted down to his injured arm; blood was still flowing freely from the wound. "What's wrong with her?" He glanced anxiously at the other captain, both wanting and not wanting an answer at the same time.

"Give me a minute," Unohana replied. "I'll go back to her room and check the moniters. Maybe they picked up something."

"We don't have a minute!" Hitsugaya cried. Indeed, at that moment, Hinamori charged at the two captains, holding her Zanpakuto, Tobiume, out in front of her. "Damn it," Hitsugaya muttered. To Unohana, he said, "You'd better hurry!"

Hitsugaya ran forward and grabbed Tobiume's blade. He winced as the sharp metal pierced the palms of his hands, causing even more blood to flow from his body. Ignoring the pain, he looked at Unohana and gave a small nod, indicating for her to go and find out what was wrong with his friend.

Unohana gave one last look at the young captain as she ran by, her mind not able to fully comprehend what was happening, nor what was causing it. She saw the same confused look on Hitsugaya's face, but his was mixed with pain and sadness. Her heart went out to him, but at the moment, the most important thing was figuring out what was wrong, so they could figure out how to fix it. She continued towards the now empty medical room, and began to examine the charts and monitors that stood around the bed.

Once Unohana was out of sight, Hitsugaya let go of the blade, causing Hinamori to fall slightly forward. He took this opportunity to run. As much as he hated leaving her, he couldn't help her if he was killed before Unohana returned with the information—or lack of. All he could do was try to keep his distance from her, and hope for the best.

But the vice-captain had other ideas. Her prey was in sight, and she wasn't about to let it get away. She took off after him, stumbling slightly as she hadn't fully regained her balance, and took of after the captain. She held Tobiume over her shoulder; the blade, also possessed, hungered for blood.

Still, she did not say a word; she hadn't since she had 'awoken'. This scared Hitsugaya more than anything: even if it really _was _her, and she truly was lost in a deep rage, she would have at least shouted out his name in anger. But instead, she had a lost expression on her face; inside, she was most likely as confused as the captain she was chasing.

The small girl was surprisingly fast. _It makes sense,_ Hitsugaya thought. _After all, she entered the academy before I did. She's had more time with her powers. Of course she's fast._ The thought did not help, however, when he glanced back and saw that she was almost upon him. In his current condition, both physical and mental, his powers were not as strong as they usually were. That included his speed.

He realized he had no choice but to draw his sword and defend himself. Instinctively, he drew Hyourinmaru. The icy blade was instantly welcomed by his blood-stained hands, and he turned and faced the vice-captain.

_Why are you drawing me? _He could sense rather than hear the question asked by his Zanpakuto, but he didn't have an answer. His limbs were acting on their own now. Hinamori came running up, swinging her blade wilding. He saw himself hold his own sword up to block the attack; he saw sparks flying as metal hit metal; he saw himself push forward and knock Hinamori to the ground; he saw her stand back up and resume her relentless attack; he saw himself knock the blade out of her hands; he saw Hyourinmaru pierce her body; he saw her fall to the ground. Then, he was back in control, staring at the small, frail girl in front of him.

That was where the remembrance stopped, and the present began again. The blood continued to drip from his blade as he stood, unable to move, think, or even breathe. Soon, it began raining, the drops from the sky concealing the tears that ran down his face.

His beloved Hinamori was dead, killed by his own hands.

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I'm sure that anyone who's actually reading this hates me now. Hell, I hate myself for writing it. But the story must go on, and I hope that even if you hate me, you will review and continue reading the chapters to come. Also, sorry that it's kinda short, the next one will be longer! 


	3. Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach. If I did-well, you get the picture.

In the only review I got for chapter two (besides the one from my friend), someone asked this: Is this really a HitsuHina fic? After re-reading the last chapter, I could see where that came from. This story seems more like an anti HitsuHina fic, doesn't it? But, I assure you, this _is _a HitsuHina fic, and it _will_ get better (of course, it'll get worse first…). So, if anyone is still reading this after that last chapter, rest assured, this is the right pairing for this story, even if it may not seem like it.

* * *

Hitsugaya fell to the ground. He couldn't believe what he had done, or how he had lost control like he did. The first and only other time it had happened had been when he first achieved Bankai, and that was because he wasn't completely ready for it yet. But this time had been much worse: not only had he lost control of his Zanpakuto, he had lost control of himself. 

He heard footsteps running up behind him. He didn't even lift his head as he heard the soft gasp of the Fourth Division captain as her rapid footsteps stopped. He felt her gaze wander from the small vice-captain to Hyourinmaru, which was lying on the ground beside him. He felt her hand on his shoulder, and only then did he look up, gazing into her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"I…I lost control," the frightened captain replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I…I killed her." His voice shook as he said those last words.

Unohana went over to Hinamori, and after a quick examination, saw that life had indeed left her body. She stood, her white uniform already soaked from the pouring rain.

"There was something inside her," she said softly. "When Aizen attacked her, he put some sort of microchip inside her, causing her to relive the events of his supposed death in her mind. He managed to convince her again that you were behind his death, and after a certain period of time, the chip was fully activated, taking control of her body and mind so she knew nothing except that she needed to attack you."

"That bastard." Hitsugaya's body shook with rage as the tears poured from his eyes even faster. "He'll pay for this…" His voice trailed off as he realized that, even if Aizen was the one that caused all this, it wasn't he who had killed her.

He shakily stood up. Other Shinigami were gathering now, wondering what had happened. His mind was already in motion on how he could fix things, how he could somehow bring her back. On the way to his room, he passed Matsumoto, his vice captain. "Taichou, what-?" She stopped when she saw the pained look on his face, and left him alone.

He spent the remainder of the night searching all his textbooks and records for anything that he could do to revive his beloved, and was about to give up when he came across something in one of his textbooks:

_Throughout history, the Shinigami of Soul Society has protected humankind from beings known as Hollows. However, in doing so, countless Shinigami have lost their lives. And so, the question arose: If, when humans die, they get another life by coming to Soul Society, why don't they? There was no answer, and so, researches began to come up with a way to bring the Shinigami back from the dead. They developed a ritual that could be used to bring someone back to life, but the cost was great: the user's own life._

The book then went on to describe how the ritual was done. When he finished reading, he had come to a conclusion: he was going to do it. He didn't care that it would cost him his own life; after all, he had taken Hinamori's.

He spent the next few hours getting ready: gathering candles, drawing the necessary symbols. It had to be perfect, or else it wouldn't work. After three hours of preparation, he was ready to start. He was about to begin when he heard a knock at the door.

"Taichou?" It was Matsumoto's voice. "Can I…come in?"

Hitsugaya went over and opened the door to reveal his vice-captain, who stood almost a full head taller than him. She forced a smile, then suddenly bent down and hugged her captain. "I'm so sorry, taichou," she whispered. "I'm sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for?" The tiny captain asked, surprised by her sudden outburst of emotion.

"I should have been there for you…" her voice trailed off as she released Hitsugaya from her embrace. "Maybe…I could have done something."

"There was nothing you could have done." Hitsugaya said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for awhile."

Matsumoto nodded. "Of course. I understand." As she was leaving, she thought she heard her captain mutter something.

"Goodbye."

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Well, there's a twist, huh? Now you guys probably hate me more. sweatdrop Anyway, I think this will end up being around 5 chapters long, so there's not much more to go. Hope you stick with me till the end! And, as always, please review or send me a message about what you think! 


	4. Revival

Ok, here's the deal. In the last chapter, I said that the story would be only about 5 chapters long. However, I just thought of something that would make it a lot longer. The thing is, though, I only have a few reviews, so I don't know if making it longer would be a good idea. So please let me know what you think!

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"Good Bye."

Matsumoto heard her captain mutter these words, but the door to her captain's room was closed before she could even turn around. "Taichou!" she yelled, banging on the door, but it wouldn't open. She knew something was wrong; her captain never locked the door. In desperation, she took out her Zanpakuto and cut open the door. What she saw, however, made her gasp. Hitsugaya was lying on the ground, unmoving.

"Taichou!" Matsumoto ran over to where her captain lay, the many candles surrounding him the only light in the room. She looked down and saw dozens of different arrays drawn in chalk, along with an open textbook. She looked at the page it was open to and gasped. "TAICHOU!"

In the medical room of the Fourth Division, Unohana-taichou and her vice-captain, Isane, stood by a table on which Hinamori lay. Although they had seen many deaths, Hinamori Momo's saddened them; she was a kind and innocent girl whose life had been destroyed by the bastard called Aizen. What they feared most, however, was the captain of the Tenth Division. So, sadly, they were not completely surprised when a member of the squad, who had heard Matsumoto's screams, told them about Hitsugaya.

"Isane." The vice-captain nodded and followed the other Shinigami at Unohana's command. The captain was about to follow when she heard something on the table behind her. She turned to see Hinamori groaning slightly, her eyelids twitching. They then opened, revealing her deep, brown eyes. She looked around until her eyes settled on Unohana.

"Unohana…taichou?" The small girl asked, struggling to sit up. "Where am I?" The captain gasped. _How is she alive?_ She wondered. _What is going on?_

"Unohana-taichou?" Hinamori looked at her expectantly. _What can I tell her?_ Then Unohana remembered the report about Hitsugaya, and ran out of the room. "Sorry, Hinamori-chan!" she called over her shoulder, leaving Hinamori to wonder what the hell was going on.

By the time Unohana arrived, Isane had already confirmed what everyone was wondering: the Tenth Division captain was dead. Matsumoto was holding his hand, crying. Various other Shinigami had gathered outside the room, wondering what all the commotion was about. Unohana's gaze went to the open book lying on the floor. She went over and picked it up, hey eyes skimming the pages as she did so. Her eyes narrowed when she was finished. "So that's it…" she muttered, placing the book back down on the ground.

She took Isane aside. "Did you read the book?" she asked. The vice-captain nodded. "Is Hinamori…" she stopped when she saw her captain nodding. "Yes, Hinamori-chan is alive," Unohana said, the sadness clearing showing in her eyes. "Now, who gets to tell her about this…"

**Author's notes:**

I wasn't sure how to have Unohana address Hinamori. I was debating over whether to call her Hinamori-chan or Hinamori-fukutaichou (Vice Captain Hinamori). I went with the first one. If that's wrong, my excuse is that in all the commotion, Unohana forgot Hinamori's rank. Or something like that…

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Ok, so this is a really short chapter, but I can't really do anything else until I know if you guys want the longer or shorter version. So please review! If you don't, I'll send the evil space monkeys after you! And yes, I know I am a very demented person. Muhahaha! 


	5. Decision

Well, because of the two or three people who reviewed, I've decided to go with the longer version of the story. As a quick spoiler, it'll involve Ichigo and the rest of the gang. How? Well, read on to find out!

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Bleach. I'm sure you're all glad about that. After all, look at what I'm doing to the characters…

* * *

When the Shinigami heard about how Hinamori was alive, they all thought that the famous captain of the Fourth Division had made a mistake as she examined the young vice-captain, and that she had never really been dead at all. It was only when they heard of Hitsugaya's death did they begin to believe the rumors that the Tenth Division captain had given his life for the one they all knew he loved. 

The news affected everyone differently. Some simply went into shock, not wanting to believe that the young Shinigami who had been praised as a genius was dead, while others retreated to their rooms to either cry (usually the girls) or just become depressed. For Hinamori, it was the latter. She was holed up in the room where her beloved Shirou-chan had been found, refusing to talk to anyone. She neither ate nor slept; some wondered if she had just given in to despair and killed herself. Sometimes, however, when they walked by, they could hear soft crying coming from inside the room. As the tears flowed freely from her brown eyes, she relived over and over again the events that had happened after she had been revived.

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After Unohana had fled from her room, Hinamori had sat on the table she had been laying on, confused. She looked down and gasped as she saw that her clothes were stained with blood. Her hand instinctively went to the wound above her breast, and hey eyes widened as she felt the deep gash in her skin. She tried hard to remember, but her mind was a blank; she remembered seeing her beloved captain again, then nothing.

She slowly lowered herself to the floor, her legs wobbling unsteadily beneath her. She could hear shouting outside, and footsteps running past the door that led to the room she was in. She walked over the door, her legs wobbling with each step, as if she had never used them before. She opened the door, and everyone that was running by immediately stopped and stared.

The news of Hinamori's death had already reached most of Seireitei; thus, when they saw her standing in the doorway of the medical center of the Fourth Division, they all thought they were seeing a ghost. Of course, Shinigami didn't have ghosts, but their frightened minds couldn't comprehend the fact that it was the real thing that stood before them.

"W-Why are you all staring?" Hinamori asked. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, especially for reasons that she didn't even know. She searched the group of Shinigami before her, looking for someone she knew. They were all strangers to her, except for one. "Kira-kun?"

Sure enough, amongst the group of unknown Shinigami, the vice-captain of the Third Division as there. He stepped forward, the first to recover from the shock of seeing the once-dead vice-captain. "Hinamori-chan, is that really you?" He stopped a little ways away from her, as if afraid to get too close.

Hinamori gave a nervous laugh. "Of course, Kira-kun. Who else would I be?" She glanced around uneasily at the crowd of people, wondering why they refused to leave.

Kira stood with a confused look on his face, then thought of something. _Unohana-taichou will know what's going on. But if the rumors are true, then she's with…_ He didn't finish the thought, since he knew it was true. Not long before, he had felt Hitsugaya's spirit energy disappear. He has also seen Unohana run in the direction of his room just a few minutes before he had decided to go and see for himself. He needed to see her, but there was no way he could bring Hinamori with him. She had already seen Aizen dead shortly before she was sent into her coma; she didn't need to go through the same thing again.

He was saved from making a decision, however, as Unohana came walking slowly towards them all. She was instantly bombarded with questions about both Hinamori and Hitsugaya, but she just shrugged them off. "I'm sorry everyone, but I need to speak to Hinamori-chan alone for a minute. Then I will answer your questions." She spoke softly yet firmly, and, noticing the seriousness in her voice, the group began to dissipate, soon leaving only the two.

"Unohana-taichou, what's going on?" Hinamori asked, a touch of fear in her voice. She knew something was wrong just by looking at the captains eyes: they were full of sadness and remorse.

"Hinamori-chan, do you remember anything since the incident with Aizen?" Unohana spoke in the same soft tone, choosing her words carefully so as not to upset the delicate girl any more than she had too. Hinamori shook her head.

"No," she whispered. "I remember seeing Aizen-taichou again, and then…everything's a blank. I try and I try, but nothing comes." Her eyes were filling with tears now, at not being able to remember, at the thought that she was somehow failing the captain in front of her by it.

Unohana put a hand on the shy girl's fragile shoulder. "Hinamori-chan, don't cry. It isn't your fault that you can't remember. Many things have happened since you last saw Aizen." Hinamori noted how she wasn't calling him a captain, but rather just by his first name. She made a small mental note to ask about it later. "It's very complicated, and this will be painful for you to hear, but…Aizen tried to kill you."

Hinamori's eyes widened as she drew away from Unohana. "You're lying!" she screamed. "Aizen-taichou would never do that!" She turned to leave, but stopped when she felt a firm hand grasp her arm.

"Hinamori-chan, listen to me!" Unohana's voice was no longer soft and gentle, but loud and firm. The urgent and almost desperate tone of her voce made Hinamori turn back around to face the captain. "I'm not lying to you. Not only did Aizen betray you, but he also betrayed all of Soul Society. However, that's not the issue right now. After he attacked you, he also attacked Hitsugaya-taichou, who had come to rescue you. Both of you survived, but you've been in a deep coma ever since."

"What about…What about Shirou-chan?" Hinamori's voice was a mere whisper as she spoke; she was so shocked at everything that the Fourth Division captain was telling her that she forgot to address Hitsugaya by his proper title.

"He recovered just fine, but he was so worried about that he barely ever left your side. But, Hinamori-chan, when Aizen attacked you with his Zanpakuto, he put some kind of microchip inside of you. Just recently, the chip was fully activated. It took control of you and made you attack Hitsugaya-taichou." Hinamori gasped. Seeing the girl's horrified expression, Unohana decided to leave out the part about how Hitsugaya had been the one that had killed her, and simply said, "Hinamori-chan…you were dead until just a little while ago."

"But how is that possible!" Hinamori's voice rose from a soft whisper to a shrill shriek. "I'm here now, aren't I? How can I be dead if I'm here!" She was hysterical now, the tears in her eyes more from confusion than sadness. Unohana gently embraced the girl, not wanting to tell her about how she was there—and what the cost had been to make it happen. But the longer she waited, the harder it would be on both her and Hinamori. "Hitsugaya-taichou managed to bring you back," she said.

"How?" Hinamori blinked back more tears as she waited for the answer. She looked up at the captain, and their eyes met; in that instant, she knew.

"Hinamori-chan, he's dead."

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Here, the memories ended and then repeated, over and over again in her mind. She had considered many options in dealing with everything that had happened, most of them involving killing herself in some way. However, she had dismissed all of those options almost as quickly as they entered her mind: if she just killed herself, then the life that her beloved Shirou-chan had worked so hard to bring back would just go to waste. If she tried the same spell that he had used, who was to say that the process wouldn't just repeat itself? No, she wouldn't just throw her life away like that, not when Hitsugaya had given so much for it.

Then she remembered. The ryoka. The ones that had come to Soul Society to save Kuchiki Rukia. Perhaps they could help. She hadn't seen them personally, nor had she even paid them much attention, even in all the chaos, but still…maybe they could help her in a way that Soul Society couldn't.

She had decided. She was going to the human world. That was the strength of her pain.

**Author's notes:**

I don't know too much about Unohana-taichou, so sorry if I messed up her character.

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Ok, in reality, I doubt that Ichigo and everyone could actually help with this, but hey, it's my fanfiction, and I get to make up the rules! HA! Sorry, I'm high on Easter chocolate right now. Anyway, as always, please review! This is my longest chapter yet, so I hope you liked it! 


	6. Arrival

Before this chapter starts, I would just like to thank everyone who's read and reviewed so far! As a quick note, I may not be able to update quite as quickly as before, since I've also started a Naruto fic that will need updating as well, but I'll do my best!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the anime Bleach. I do, however, own the laundry detergent and have spent countless hours staring at it expecting a Shinigami with bright orange hair to pop out.

* * *

Hinamori had never been in a gigai before. She had never been to the real world before, for that matter.

She had a plan-well, somewhat. She knew that another Shinigami and somewhat friend of hers was in the human world as well: Abarai Renji, vice-captain of the Sixth Division. She was sure that if she found him, she would find the ryouka as well; though, as she thought about it, she didn't even know the ryoukas' names, but they _had_ helped save Soul Society, or so she was told, so she thought that maybe they would help.

She had only told one person where she was going: Matsumoto, Hitsugaya's vice-captain. Other than Hinamori, she had been the one hit the hardest by her captain's death. If anyone would understand Hinamori's crazy idea about going to the human world, it was her.

She had spent countless hours walking the streets of the city of Karakura, and still saw no sign of her red-headed Shinigami friend. It was now getting dark, and, since she knew nothing of the strange world she was in, had no idea where she was supposed to sleep for the night. She was just walking past one of the many houses on the street she was currently walking on when she heard shouts coming from it.

"RENJI, YOU ASS! I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!"

"AND WHAT IF I DO, CARROT-TOP?"

As Hinamori stood, staring blankly at the house, she wondered what was going on. She could feel some kind of reiatsu coming from inside the house; three of them actually. One of the upstairs windows suddenly shattered, and a figure fell through it. It wasn't until it landed right in front of her did the name that had been yelled out a few minutes before register in her mind.

"WHAT THE HELL! ICHIGO, YOU BASTARD, DON'T GO PUSHING PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR DAMN WINDOWS!"

"Abarai-kun?"

The boy with spiky red hair turned and gasped at the girl that stood in front of him. "Hinamori? What are you doing here?" She was about to answer when another boy, this time with orange hair, jumped out of the broken window and landed near them. He seemed about to hurl yet another insult at Renji, but stopped when he saw they had another guest. "Who's she? You're girlfriend?" This comment, however, only got him a nasty bump on the head from the red-haired Shinigami.

"A-are you by any chance Kurosaki Ichigo?" Hinamori asked shyly. Even if she had never seen him before, she had gotten names and descriptions of him and his friends from Matsumoto. The orange hair was a dead giveaway that this was indeed the Shinigami Representative she was looking for.

"Depends. Who's asking?" Ichigo said with his usual attitude. This also earned him a whack on the head from Renji.

"Shut up, Ichigo! She's a vice-captain from Soul Society, Hinamori Momo." Hinamori gave a slight bow. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"Uh, yeah, you too." Ichigo said, scratching his neck awkwardly. Then he turned to Renji. "You didn't have to hit me, you know! How the hell was I supposed to know she was from Soul Society, let alone a vice-captain?"

"You're a Shinigami, idiot! You should have been able to sense her reiatsu!" Renji yelled back. Hinamori just stared at them as they shouted insults back and forth, not sure if she should stop them or not. Someone else saved her the trouble, however; two very heavy looking objects (which she later found out where Ichigo's alarm clock and another random object from his room) fell on both of their heads.

"You're both idiots!" Another figure appeared in the broken window frame, this time of a girl. Hinamori instantly recognized her as Kuchiki Rukia, the prisoner Ichigo and his friends had come to Soul Society to save. As Hinamori looked up at her, Rukia saw the small vice-captain and waved, her voice instantly becoming friendly. "Hinamori-fukutaichou, right?" She said, also jumping out the window and landing beside her. Hinamori just nodded. Opposite them, the other two Shinigami were just recovering after the sudden attack from Ichigo's belongings.

"Damn it, Rukia! Now I have to buy a new alarm clock!" Ichigo said, holding up the object that had fallen on his head, adding to all the bumps he had already gotten from Renji. "And a new…whatever that is!" He added, pointing to the thing that was lying next to the other victim. Even he didn't know what the random object was; it had obviously been stuffed into his closet and forgotten long ago.

"Well, if you two would stop going at each other's throats every five seconds then this never would have happened!" Rukia was now getting involved in all the yelling, causing Hinamori to wonder why they had gone through so much trouble to save her if they were just going to fight. Then, suddenly, she laughed, putting and end to all the yelling; their angry looks were replaced with ones of confusion as they stared at the young girl.

"I-I'm sorry," Hinamori said, tears forming in her eyes from laughing so hard. Rukia and the others just smiled; they realized how stupid they must have looked, standing there in the middle of the lawn, surrounded by broken glass and biting each other's heads off.

"So, why are you here, Hinamori-fukutaichou?" Rukia asked. "Before I left Soul Society, you were still asleep, right?" Hinamori's laugh began to fade as she remembered the reason she had come there in the first place. Ichigo noticed this. "Why don't we go back inside?" he suggested. "You can tell us whatever's going on there." They all agreed and shuffled back into the house. After covering the broken window with about 50 pounds of duct tape, Ichigo sat on his bed, everyone else scattered in random chairs around the room, and Hinamori began her story, repeating everything that Unohana had told her.

* * *

Well, here's the latest chapter! As you can see, I tried to put some humor in it to lighten things up a little. Hope that helped make this story a little less depressing! And, of course, please review and give me any constructive criticism you may have. Arigatou! 


	7. Hope

"I don't know if we can help."

Hinamori had finished explaining what was going on in Soul Society, more tears forming in her eyes; this time, however, they weren't from laughing. She had been staring at the floor while cautiously glancing up now and then to see the others' reactions. Ichigo was racking his brain, trying to remember if he had even met the young captain. _Was he the psycho one with spiky hair and little bells scattered in it? No wait, he was Ken-something. The only other captain I can remember is Rukia's brother…what was his name again? Aw, hell! I suck at names! _He sat there in frustration, deciding that he had never met Hitsugaya.

Renji and Rukia, however, both knew who he was; how could they not? He was the captain known as a genius, having joined the Gotei 13 and become a captain at such a young age. Though Rukia had only met him on a few occasions, Renji had had many encounters with him. Many times, there had been meetings involving the captains and vice-captains. Also, by knowing Hinamori, he had sometimes met him through her; he could remember Hitsugaya getting mad when the small vice-captain would call him 'Shirou-chan'.

None of them knew what to say. All three Shinigami, even Ichigo, felt something like pity towards the frail girl. First she had to suffer the loss and betrayal of her beloved captain, and how this. It had been Ichigo, with his usual blunt tactics, who had spoken first, voicing all their thoughts about how they didn't know if they could do anything.

"Oh," Hinamori mumbled, resuming her task of studying the details of Ichigo's carpet. "I see." There was no mistaking the disappointment in her voice; they had been her last hope, these ryouka, though she had only met one of the six that had come to Soul Society; she had learned from Matsumoto that two of them (Ganju and Yoruichi) were currently somewhere back home. She briefly wondered if perhaps the others could help her, but then realized that, if they could, the others would have said something. The tears that had been threatening to overflow slid down her cheeks. She almost laughed; she thought she had already used up all her tears.

"Hey, don't cry!" Ichigo said. He hated it when people cried. It stirred up some hidden emotion inside him, replacing his usual forceful nature. It always made him wonder if he was going soft, but perhaps it was just because he had seen more than his share of tears growing up. He turned to Renji. "What about Urahara? Do you think he might know something?"

Renji seemed to consider this. "Well, I'm staying with him, so I'll ask when I leave her. Oh, Hinamori-chan?" The vice-captain lookup up at the sound of her name. "You need somewhere to stay, right? Why don't you come with me? I'm sure Urahara won't mind an extra guest." _I just hope that they don't give her the whole 'freeloader' treatment like they did me,_ he added silently to himself.

Hinamori nodded, the spark of hope reigniting inside her. Ichigo decided to walk them out. Rukia would have, but, since she was currently living an unknown guest in Ichigo's closet and technically wasn't supposed to be there, they didn't figure that would go over well. As they were leaving, however, they met with some unexpected interference.

"ICHIGO!" Ichigo's father came flying out of nowhere, ambushing his son with a swift kick to the gut. Instinctively, Ichigo punched him back. "What the hell was that for, old man?" he yelled, about 3 inches away from his father's face. In seconds, Ichigo was caught in a tight headlock, his father obviously wanting to torment him more. "Ah, my young son! I only figured that soon you'd be sneaking young women into your room!" He had tears running down his face, as if the mere thought of his only son doing things with strange girls was enough to make him jump for joy. Renji and Hinamori could only stare at the strange scene in front of them, wondering if things such as this often happened in the Kurosaki household.

A few minutes later, after Ichigo had pretty much knocked his father out, the three of them stood in the doorway, Renji and Hinamori about to leave. "I'm, uh, sorry we couldn't really help…" Ichigo said awkwardly. He wasn't really good at this sort of thing. Hinamori didn't notice, however, and only gave him a small smile. "Don't apologize. Thanks for trying." With that, they left headed for Urahara Kisuke's shop.

----------

"Bring a Shinigami back to life?"

Hinamori had explained the situation yet again, and was now worried that she would receive the same answer as before. Urahara, however, seemed to be thinking about it, as if trying to recall something. Finally, Hinamori couldn't take it anymore, and asked, "Well, do you know of a way, Urahara-taichou?" On the way to the shop, Renji had explained Urahara's history in Soul Society, and how he had once been a captain of the Gotei 13. Urahara had to smile; it had been awhile since he had been called that.

"I don't know," he said at last. "I seem to recall possibly hearing about a way that might possibly be able to bring someone back to life, but I can't seem to remember." Both Hinamori and Renji stared at him, both silently commenting on the number of times he said the word 'possibly' and wondering if he actually knew what he was talking about. They both highly doubted it.

"Erm, anyway, we were also wondering if Hinamori could stay here until she goes back to Soul Society." Renji said, hoping to get a better answer for this question than the last. Urahara looked at them and smiled. "But of course!" he said. "After all, it's not often that I have two important vice-captains in my home, is it?" Hinamori gave a bow of thanks, while Renji sent him a look that said, 'Give her the same treatment you did me and you're dead.'

"In any case," Urahara said, getting back on the real problem at hand, "I'll have to do some research to see if I can find a way to bring him back. It could take awhile. In the meantime…" he looked at Hinamori, "have you ever been to school?"

* * *

Ok, I know that was a _really_ short chapter, but I didn't know a better place to end it. That, and I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. Don't worry, the next one will be a lot longer, I promise! And you guessed it: Hinamori will be going to Ichigo's school! That'll be just a fun little chapter to take a break from things. After that, well, I'm not sure how many chapters will be left, but we'll get into the process of bringing Shirou-chan back to life! -insert applause here- See, I told you it would get better! Thanks to those of you who've stuck with my story this far! 


	8. School

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach. If I did, I wouldn't have to keep thinking of random disclaimers.

* * *

Schools in the human world were nothing like the Shinigami academy.

For one thing, the skirts that the girls were required to wear were way to short, at least by Hinamori's standards. She couldn't see how they could walk around with so much skin showing, but nobody but her seemed to be bothered by it. After all, she was used to her Shinigami outfit, which went all the way down to her ankles. There also weren't nearly as many students to a classroom. She remembered how the classes at Soul Society were full of people, and not just 20 or 30 like this strange school.

During their meeting with Urahara, he had suggested that she go to school with Ichigo and the others. He said it would be a good experience for her to learn about the human world, and it would take her mind off of everything that was going on. She would also get to meet the other three that had gone to Soul Society along with Ichigo. But mostly, she figured it was just an excuse to get her out the house so she wouldn't be in his way.

So here she was, at Karakura High School, wearing the too-short skirts of the school uniform. She had walked to school with Ichigo and Rukia, and had later been joined by his friends: Ishida Uryuu, Inoue Orihime, and Yasutora Sado, or Chad as they called him.

She was then introduced to them.

"This is Hinamori Momo, vice-captain of the Fifth Division of Soul Society," Rukia said, gesturing to the small girl. She gave everyone a look that told them not to bring up what had happened when they were there last, since they all knew that Aizen had been from the Fifth Division. Hinamori gave an awkward bow, not quite sure what to do or say. Luckily, Orihime was the first to react. She ran over to the vice-captain and gave her a huge hug, startling her so much that she would have jumped, had she not been stuck in the girl's embrace.

"Nice to meet you, Hinamori-chan!" she squealed. The fragile girl was immediately smothered by Orhime's overly-large breasts, and she was reminded of Matsumoto, who had done a similar thing when they had first met. She gave a small squeak, signifying that she couldn't breathe, and was released from Orihime's hold. The ever-cheerful girl just giggled, unaware of the awkward she had put the young vice-captain in. "You're so cute for a vice-captain!" she said, a huge grin plastered on her face. Hinamori wasn't sure if she could take that as a compliment or not.

"Ah, Inoue-san," Ishida said, placing a hand on his female companion's shoulder. "We really should be getting to school. Classes will start soon." He shifted his gaze to the newest member of the group. "I take it you will be joining us for the remainder of your stay, Hinamori-san?" He added, noticing the uniform that Hinamori was wearing. She only nodded, not wanting to risk another 'attack' by Orihime. They then headed off to school, Ichigo and Rukia filling the others in on why the vice-captain was there.

It was awkward for her to stand in front of the classroom and introduce herself to the other students. Urahara had made up a story about how she was a transfer student from some distant country, so the teacher talked to her slowly and made sure to pronounce each word to make sure she understood. That was weird, too. She soon made it clear that she did, in fact, fully understand Japanese, and was soon blending in with the class. That was when she noticed how small the classes were, and began comparing human schools with those of Soul Society.

The only thing she was good at was English. Being a Shinigami, she could easily translate Japanese sentences into English, since she could speak a variety of languages. The other subjects, however, such as Math and History, she did poorly in. The classes of Soul Society had taught her the essentials of being a death god, such as kidou. These classes taught, what she thought, were useless things that you would never use in real life. After all, would you be walking down the street saying, "I want to find the angle measurements of that right triangle"? She thought not.

Triangles aside, Hinamori concluded that human schools weren't all that bad. She actually found learning about Japanese history quite interesting, seeing as how she didn't really know anything about the strange world she was in, let alone how it came to be. She found herself deeply involved with the lessons, and was almost sad when the bell rang for lunch.

Being a transfer student, the rest of the class had mostly ignored her, which was just fine with her. Though she may be an important member of the Gotei 13 in Soul Society, she never was good with crowds or being the center of attention. So, when the friends of her new acquaintances began crowding around her desk, asking her questions about the place she supposedly came from, she felt herself turn a deep red at the attention, and felt almost afraid. After all, though she knew that humans didn't have the powers of Shinigami, she didn't know anything about them, and didn't know what they were capable of. Later, as she thought back, she realized that she was completely overreacting, but, when in a strange situation, the brain seems to do whatever it feels like without the consent of its owner.

Such is the case for the small vice-captain. Overwhelmed by the amount of people surrounding her, she ran out of the room, knocking over a couple of the kids that had formed a circle around her desk. She didn't know where she was going, until she found herself on the roof of the school. Out of breath from running through most of the building, she walked over to the railing and collapsed on the ground, scrunching into a ball and hiding her head in her knees. _Why? _She wondered to herself. _Why am I so weak? I can't even handle simple things anymore. Why did I run like that? I feel like I'm falling apart. Shirou-chan…Shirou-chan gave his life, and for what? A coward, who can't even face life anymore. Shirou-chan…_She let the tears flow freely, and for the first time since Hitsugaya's death, she felt a different emotion: Anger. She was angry at herself for being so weak. Was that the real reason she had come to the human world? Not only to find a way to bring the captain back to life, but because she was running away? Running from reality? Here, in the human world, at least she wasn't surrounded by constant reminders of the death of the one person she loved. She no longer heard the whispers of those around her, saying that it was because of her…everything was because of her…it was she who had attacked Hitsugaya, she was the one responsible for his death.

"You really are a fool, Hinamori,"a voice whispered. Her head snapped up. Could it be…? Yes, the voice was _his_. There was no way she could mistake it. "You're the same bed-wetter Momo that I used to know. You haven't changed a bit." She could hear his voice, as if nothing had changed...Oh, how she had longed to hear that voice. "Shirou-chan…" More tears welled up in her eyes, replacing the old ones with new, crystal drops that rolled freely down her face. She could see his face in her mind, as if he was there…

"Crying doesn't suit you, Hinamori," he said, almost with a chuckle. "What are you crying for? I'm not gone, you know. I'm still here. They say that when a Shinigami dies, their soul is lost, but that's not true. I'm here, Hinamori." His voice began to fade. "I'm here…"

When Ichigo and the others found the vice-captain, she was asleep on the rooftop, tears rolling down her face, muttering the same thing over and over. "Shirou-chan…"

----------

It wasn't just a dream.

Hinamori had heard him clearly. He had spoken to her from some far-off place; she had felt his voice, saw his face…No, it had not been a normal dream. She knew that it had been the real him, telling her that he was there. All her doubts had been replaced with a new-found courage. Yes, she was still weak and afraid, but she would no longer just stand by and accept things as they were. She would do something with the second chance she had been given. Now, more than ever, she believed that there was a way to bring him back. She just had to find it.

However, it wasn't her that found the answer. It was Urahara. In the middle of yet another sleepless night, he came into her room with the answer she had been seeking.

"I've found a way."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

There are many things in this chapter that I made up, and I just want to clear a few things up. I really don't know for sure how big the classes at Soul Society are, but during the few times that they're shown flashbacks of someone there, they looked pretty big. I also don't know how big typical Japanese classes are; I'm just going by what I've seen in various anime. Also, I don't have any idea about what happens to a Shinigami's soul after they've died. So, if it's something else entirely, then, um, I blame Ichigo. Because I can.

Damn, I'm evil. Hehe. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I just couldn't resist. This chapter ended up being a lot more serious than I originally intended, but I think it worked out. I'm also sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out, but my computer has been stupid and wouldn't connect to the internet. I still don't know why. On top of that, I had to write a short story for English that somehow ended up being about ten pages long, even though it only needed to be two. I don't see how someone can write a story that short. I just don't. But, by now, you're probably getting tired of my pointless babble. So just press the magic blue button at the bottom of the screen. You know you want to.


	9. Realm

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach. If I did, then I would have Ishida jump off a bridge for being such an idiot in the latest episode (episode 79. See my notes at the bottom for details).

* * *

"I've found a way."

Hinamori's eyes lit up at Urahara's words, her heart pounding about ten times faster than normal. She instantly sprung up out of her bed, looking him in the eye. His face was emotionless, however, and she couldn't tell if what he was about to tell her was good or bad. What if it was just a way similar to Hitsugaya's, where the person has to sacrifice their self? What good would that do her?

Seeing the look on Hinamori's face as she thought, Urahara smiled. "Now, what's that look for? You don't think I'm going to tell you that you have to die too, do you?" Hinamori looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed. It was as if he had read her thoughts, however scattered they were. A part of her was thrilled at the thought of finally being able to bring him back, but another part of her was scared. What if it didn't work? What then?

"Come with me," Urahara said, bringing her back to reality. "I have some tea waiting." With that, she followed him out of the room, her mind still racing. Soon they were seated around the dining table, cups of steaming hot tea in front of them. Hinamori looked at him anxiously, and he began to explain.

"There is an old method of bringing someone back from the dead that's very different the way Hitsugaya used," he began. "It's a very dangerous method, however, and the probability of success depends sorely on the one that uses it. In this case, you." Hinamori stiffened. Her? What if she wasn't strong enough? She remained silent, however, allowing him to continue. "I'm sure you've heard the stories that when Shinigami die, their souls are lost?" She nodded. "Haven't you ever wondered how people knew? Had they been dead before? I highly doubt it. No, the souls of the dead don't just vanish; they're sent to another realm, one that's parallel to the real world and Soul Society." He paused, allowing the vice-captain to gather her thoughts.

_Another realm? _Hinamori was starting to figure out where he was going. _Is he telling me that I can go to that realm and get Shirou-chan back? But how do I do that? _She decided to wait instead of blurting out her questions, assuming that they would soon be answered anyway.

"This realm, known as the Realm of Darkness, is basically what Soul Society is to the humans of Earth; only select humans know of the existence of Soul Society, and only select Shinigami know of this realm. It is only accessible to those with a lot of darkness in their hearts." Urahara looked intensely at Hinamori. "Right now, Hinamori, your heart is filled with darkness. You blame yourself for his death, correct? Do you wonder if you're strong enough? Do you think that it was pointless for him to die in order to bring you back? Do you think you're worthless?" The vice-captain looked down at the teacup in her hands. _Yes, _she thought. _I do… _A single tear rolled down her cheek, landing with a silent _PLOP _in the steaming liquid.

Urahara could see that his words had hit deep. Nevertheless, he continued, knowing that no matter how painful those feelings were, they were necessary in order for her to accomplish her goal. "Now, now, don't get so upset. You see, that darkness is needed in order to go to the Realm of Darkness. Hence, the name. Feelings of regret, remorse, worthlessness…right now, the stronger those feelings are, the easier it will be for you to enter the realm."

"And how do I get there?" Hinamori squeaked, still staring down at her tea, not trusting herself to meet the man's gaze. She felt somewhat relieved, though. At least the feelings in heart wouldn't keep her from entering. She didn't have to replace them with thoughts of rainbows and happy bunnies, or something equally impossible.

"Oh, getting there is the easy part," Urahara said. "All we need to do is perform a ceremony of sorts, and say the ancient incantation." _Ceremony? Ancient Incantation? Those sound like things from a children's fairy tale! _Hinamori thought, though she didn't voice her opinion out loud. Her expression must have given her away, however, because Urahara laughed.

"I know, it sounds like something out of some little kid's book, but it's true. When the ceremony is completed, your soul will leave your body and travel to the Realm of Darkness. Once there, however, things get much more difficult." He paused, and, finally giving in from his overpowering gaze, Hinamori finally looked up. "This is where the outcome depends on you," Urahara, knowing that he now had her full attention, continued. "Once you enter the realm, things get very complicated. You have only a certain amount of time to find his soul and convince him to come back."

"Convince him?" The vice-captain repeated, not understanding. Why would she have to convince her Shirou-chan to come back? Why would he contact her in her dreams if he didn't want to come back to her?

Urahara sighed. "That's why this part is hard. When in the Realm of Darkness, the lord, Kazumi, sort of hypnotizes the Shinigami into not wanting to leave."

"But he contacted me!" Hinamori blurted out. "He came to me in my dreams! Why would he do that if he didn't want to come home?"

Her host raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? That's a new development. I would guess that, before he lost himself completely to Kazumi, he wanted to contact you one last time."

"What do you mean, lose himself? Do they know when this Kazumi guy is hypnotizing them?" Things were not looking good. What if, when she got there, Hitsugaya really wouldn't want to leave? What would she do then?

"Now, now, don't start panicking just yet," Urahara said, calmly sipping his tea; which, by now, was almost cold, but he didn't seem to mind. "The fact that he contacted youis a good thing. When those in the Realm of Darkness are being hypnotized, they are gradually losing a sense of who they used to be. They start to forget everything that happened in their former lives. But if, during the process, he was able to contact you, that means that he must have been fighting against Kazumi's power. Which means that he has a very strong will; he doesn't want to forget the people he knew during his lifetime. If we hurry, we should be able to reach him before his memory is completely gone, which gives us the advantage."

"But I still don't understand," Hinamori said. "Earlier, you said this would be dangerous. How so? What will happen if I don't make it back in time?"

"That's where things become complicated," Urahara said. "If you don't make it back in time, then your soul will be trapped there. You will slowly start to lose yourself, as those who have died do. Basically, you will die." Hinamori didn't say anything. If there was even the slightest chance that she could bring Hitsugaya back, then she was willing to risk death to do it. However, Urahara wasn't done speaking. "Also, while you're there, there is a good possibility that you will have to face Kazumi. He doesn't like it when the souls of the living enter his world. For this reason, you will have to bring your Zanpakuto with you. If the time comes when you have to fight him, it would bea good thing if you have already freed Hitsugaya's soul, for he is very powerful. If you do manage to get him back to normal, then you must make your way back to the entrance before time runs out."

"How much time do I have?"

"You will have three hours. When your time is almost up, you will feel a strange tingling sensation throughout your body. If that happens, head back to the entrance as fast as you can. However, you can only enter the realm once, so if you don't get him the first time, you won't have another chance. Understand?"

Hinamori nodded. It was a lot to take in. But she knew that she had to get there, get Hitsugaya, and get out within three hours. She hoped she was strong enough to do it. Urahara then began to search the house for the items that would be needed for the ceremony, while Hinamori mentally prepared herself for the journey ahead of her. It was during this time that Renji came into the room.

"Hey," he said, sitting down opposite her. She hadn't moved from her position at the table. "I heard the story. Are you really going to go through with this?" Hinamori nodded again, since her mouth seemed unable to form words at the moment. Renji was silent for awhile, then said, "Promise me one thing. Promise me that if you're almost out of time, then you'll come back. You won't stay there. I don't want you to think that if you can't help him, then you'll just give up and stay there. That's not what Hitsugaya-taichou would want, is it?"

Before she could answer, Urahara entered the room, announcing that the preparations were complete. Hinamori stood up and walked towards him, but stopped before exiting. "Thank you, Renji." She said, then walked into the basement beneath the shop.

There was some sort of diagram drawn in chalk on the ground. On closer inspection, she saw that it was a star inside of a circle. Candles were placed oneach tip. Urahara instructed her to sit in the center, and she did so. He then began the incantation, which consisted of unknown words that she suspected were in a foreign language. When he finished, she could feel her soul leaving her body. It was the same sensation one felt when leaving a gigai, only the feeling lasted much longer.

"Oh, and one more thing," Urahara called, just before she was gone entirely. "Kazumi doesn't like to fight, so he'll most likely try to trick you into staying past the time limit. Just remember that, because you're going there as a living soul, he doesn't have any control over you." And with that, she had left the world of the living, and was headed for some unknown world.

* * *

Wow, that was a lot longer than I expected it to be! I was just struck by inspiration, I guess. In any case, things are getting exciting! You might get to see Hitsugaya again in the next chapter, though I haven't fully decided yet. Also, a quick note about Kazumi. He's an OC. I just now made him up. I had no intention of having an OC in this story, but then decided it would make things a little more exciting later on. He might become an important character, he might not. For now, don't pay him much attention.

Now, regarding the disclaimer. This is just a quick spoiler for the latest anime episode, so you can skip this if you haven't seen it. I just thought Ishida was acting like an idiot. He ran away, got himself captured, then had Ichigo and company rescue him just so he could run away again. Of course, I understand that he was in love with Yoshino-san (or at least, something pretty close), but still. It's not like he could do anything anyway. No, he just stood there and watched her die. Of course, I feel bad for him now, but he's still an idiot.

Ok, I feel better. Sorry for the ranting. Now go ahead and press the magical blue button. If you don't, I'll sick…Byakuya on you! Muhahaha!

Ja ne!


	10. Darkness

Wow, chapter 10! For me, since this is my first story with multiple chapters, this is a pretty cool accomplishment! I'd like to thank everyone who's supported me up to this point. Jeez, I sound like some 50 year old writer…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach. If I did, I'd push Ganju out a window. Just because. Damn, I'm running out of disclaimers…

* * *

Water.

That's the first thing Hinamori noticed as she stood in the strange new world. She was standing in a small pool of water; or rather, a large pool, seeing as it seemed to go on forever. Not that she could really see anything. Darkness was all around her; she could only tell that the water was there as it was licking at her ankles.

She couldn't remember anything of the journey there. It seemed as though one minute she was sitting in the basement of Urahara's shop, and the next she was here. Wherever 'Here' was. She could only assume that she was somewhere in the Realm of Darkness, but, seeing as she had never seen it before, she couldn't be entirely sure. What if the ritual had gone wrong? She pushed the thought out of her mind, rationalizing that she _had _to be in the realm, since she didn't know where else she could be.

In any case, if she was going to do anything, she needed to be able to see, and therefore needed some sort of light. She muttered a kidou spell under her breath, creating a small ball of flame that floated an inch above her palm. With it, she looked at her surroundings, and gasped.

What she was standing in was not water. No, water was not the bright red color of this liquid. She was standing in a giant pool of blood. She had to will herself not to throw up on the spot. She took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was there. As she held up her makeshift light to look around again, she saw something other than the river of blood she stood in: a little ways away, there was land.

Hinamori breathed a sigh of relief and ran to it, glad to finally get out of the red pool. As she climbed onto the island, she noticed that it was surprisingly normal: It was covered in green grass with blackish-purple flowers. The green contrasted greatly with the red she had just left; she looked down to find her shoes covered with blood, as well as part of her ankles. She shivered, wanting desperately to run home and take a nice, hot bath. Her will to rescue her friend was stronger, however, and she trudged on.

She saw no other signs of life – erm, death – aside from the flowers and grass. That raised a new question: were the plants really alive, or only spirits of plants that had died? Did plants even have spirits? All this strange world seemed to be giving her were more questions. But why did she see no other spirits of the dead? The place was frightening quiet. She firmly grasped Tobiume, her Zanpakuto, with one hand, half expecting something to jump out of nowhere and attack her. Not that there was anywhere to jump out of. Aside from the various flowers, the island was bare. No trees, no rocks, nothing that could serve as a hiding place. So where the hell was everyone?

She stopped suddenly as a fierce pain roared through her head, causing her to fall down on one knee. Her face twisted in pain, pain unlike anything she had ever felt before. It felt as though someone was taking a knife and probing around inside her head with it. She clutched it tightly with both hands, releasing her death-hold on Tobiume. The pain only seemed to increase, to the point that she even thought of reaching down to her Zanpakuto…

_Get a hold of yourself, Momo! _A sharp voice echoed in her head. Hinamori's head jerked up at the sound of her name. "T-Tobiume?" Hinamori whispered. Although she had yet to achieve Bankai, she could still talk with her Zanpakuto if needed. Hearing Tobiume's harsh voice helped her to come to her senses, and she somehow managed to overcome the pain and stand back up. Almost instantly, her head felt back to normal. She let her hands drop back to her sides, one of them resting gently on her Zanpakuto. "Thanks, Tobiume," she whispered, and kept moving.

"Hinamori," said a voice behind her. She slowly turned around and gasped at the figure that had spoken. It was Hitsugaya.

"Shirou-chan!" she cried, turning fully around so that she was facing him. Tears began to fill her eyes as she stared at the person she had lost not long ago, resisting the urge to run over and hug him. Everything Urahara had said left her mind at that point, and had her brain been fully functioning, she would have wondered just wherehe had come from. After all, it seemed as though he had materialized out of thin air. However, the only thing her mind could process was the fact that Hitsugaya was standing right in front of her.

Hitsugaya smiled at her. "I've missed you, Hinamori." At hearing her name again, Hinamori's tears spilled over. One thing she was able to notice about him was that he didn't have Hyourinmaru at his side. "Shirou-chan, where's your Zanpakuto?" she asked.

"Silly Hinamori, I don't need my Zanpakuto here," Hitsugaya said with a chuckle. "I'm glad you came here, Hinamori. Would you like to stay here with me? It's great. We wouldn't have to fight anymore. We could be together forever." He stepped forward, his hand outstretched as if he wished to take hers. Hinamori tentatively reached a hand out, then pulled it back. "You're not Shirou-chan," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Hitsugaya slowly drew his hand back to his side. "What are you talking about, Momo?" he asked, a confused expression on his face.

Hinamori's tears dried as she looked him straight in the eye. "The Shirou-chan I know would never ask me to stay in a place like this," she said, her voice becoming louder with each word. Everything Urahara had said before her departure also came back to her. "If you were the real Shirou-chan, you wouldn't remember anything because of Kazumi's spell. Also," she added with a sad smile, "you haven't scolded me for calling you Shirou-chan. That's a dead giveaway."

The fake Hitsugaya laughed. "My, my, what a smart little girl you are," he said, while before her eyes he began to transform. His brilliant green eyes turned to an icy blue; his hair changed from white to black, turning straight and doubling in length until it went down to the middle of his back. He also grew about a foot and a half, causing his clothes, which were now black instead of white, to grow as well. When he was done, a whole new person stood in front of the small vice-captain; or rather, stood above her, seeing as he now stood almost a full foot taller than her.

"Kazumi," she whispered, clutching Tobiume tightly in her hand. Her eyes narrowed. "What have you done with Shirou-chan!" she yelled, suddenly gaining more courage. She was seconds away from releasing her Zanpakuto, and would have done so had she not needed information on Hitsugaya's whereabouts.

"Ah, you mean that cute little captain from Soul Society that arrived here not long ago, right?" Kazumi said, his grin never leaving his face. "He _could _have been standing right in front of you, had you not been so intent on taking him back with you and taken my offer to stay here. You Shinigami are so stubborn." He shook his head slightly, as if he truly was upset with Hinamori's resistance to stay in his world.

"I won't ask you again. Where is he!" Hinamori shouted, her voice echoing throughout the surrounding darkness. Then something dawned on her. "Wait, how did you know I was looking for Shirou-chan?"

Kazumi chuckled again. "My dear, nothing goes on in this realm that I don't know about. I rule this world and everything in it. That is, everything _dead_. You, who are still living, have the power to resist me. But I have the ability to see into your mind and find the one thing that is your weakness. In this case, you're beloved _Shirou-chan_." He said Hitsugaya's name like he was taunting her.

"But how-?" Hinamori started, then remembered the intense pain she had felt in her head earlier. She sent him a sharp look. "That pain from earlier. It was you, wasn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Score one for the little lady," Kazumi said, his grin widening. "Yes, that was me. You see, I don't really like to fight, so I try to use more…civil ways to get my guests to stay here." In a flash, he was standing right behind her; he had moved so fast that her eyes had lost sight of him. He reached his hand out and placed it under her chin, turning her head and forcing her to look at him. Hinamori briefly noticed how cold his skin felt, as if it were an ice cube instead of his flesh.

He forced her head up, so that she was looking directly into his eyes. Before she could look away, their icy blue was replaced with a fiery red, as if they were glowing, and she couldn't move. It was like she had been paralyzed; her right hand, which was resting on Tobiume's hilt, couldn't move to pull the Zanpakuto out. In a word, she was trapped, frozen on the spot and open to anything the evil lord might throw at her.

"How does it feel, my dear?" Kazumi asked, leaning down and whispering in her ear. "To have come all this way only to die by my hands before even seeing your precious Shirou-chan?" He flicked out his tongue and gently licked her ear, causing Hinamori to shudder. "My, you taste good," he continued. "Do you remember the blood that you were standing in when you arrived? That's the blood of anyone who was foolish enough to enter my realm uninvited. It's beautiful, isn't it?" He lifted his head a few inches and gazed out into the distance lovingly. "And soon, yours will be there as well." He reached into a pocket of his black cloak, drew out a small sword, and placed it at her neck.

Hinamori squeezed her eyes shut. _Shirou-chan…Did I really come all this way for nothing? _More tears filled her eyes, and she began crying again. It seemed like that was all she had been doing lately. Crying. _I'm still weak, aren't I? I can't even rescue you, even though I'm so close…Shirou-chan, where are you? You're here somewhere in this evil place, aren't you? You're here, waiting for me…_Her eyes snapped open. Yes, he was waiting for her, and she wasn't about to give up now. Not after she had come so far. _Shirou-chan, wait for me a little bit longer! I'm coming!_

Kazumi lifted the sword into the air, bringing it down for the finishing blow.

Seconds later, blood spattered to the ground.

* * *

This is probably my favorite chapter thus far. This is turning out to be a lot darker than I originally intended. But it sure has come a long way, hasn't it? Unfortunately, it will come to an end in the next couple of chapters. When this one is done, I may start another Bleach fanfic featuring a very strange couple. What is it, you ask? You'll just have to wait and see!

Now, go ahead and press the pretty blue button. It'll make me very happy.


	11. Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I do now own Bleach. Otherwise I'd have Shirou-chan do the Macarena in a hula skirt on top of a building.

* * *

"_Stupid Bed-wetter Momo! Can't you do anything right?"_

_Hinamori opened her eyes to see Hitsugaya standing in front of her, holding Hyourinmaru in one hand. She started to smile, then stopped. "I am not a bed-wetter, Shirou-chan!" She huffed._

_Hitsugaya glared at her. "Don't call me that, damn it! I'm a captain now! Call me by my title!"_

"_Not until you stop calling me a bed-wetter!"_

_The argument continued for awhile, until they both forgot why they were there in the first place. Even in Soul Society, a Hollow will wander in once in awhile. When this happens, they usually send a low-ranked officer to deal with it. However, on this occasion, the Hollow had already taken out three of these Shinigami, so they decided to send Hinamori, who had just recently become a vice-captain, to deal with it._

_No one had really put much thought into _how _the Hollow had managed to easily beat all the Shinigami they sent after it, so it never crossed the young vice-captain's mind that there could be more than one enemy. When she arrived, however, she found that the Hollow had friends. Two of them, in fact. She somehow managed to kill the two weaker ones with Tobiume, but had been knocked to the ground while distracted by the other one, hurting her ankle in the fall. The Hollow lunged at her, but when she tried to stand, she immediately fell back down again. She closed her eyes and waited for impact. That's when Hitsugaya had arrived._

_When he heard that Hinamori still wasn't back from her mission yet, Hitsugaya had begun to get worried. He was pacing back and forth in his office when Matsumoto had suggested that he go and look for her. She even offered to do his paperwork, though the captain figured that she would just stuff it under the sofa and pretend it was done. Nevertheless, he went, and arrived just in time to save her. Now all three Hollows were dead, and they just stood there and argued._

"_Why did you even come, Shirou-chan?" Hinamori asked, wondering if he just came to rub it in her face that she couldn't handle it on her own._

"_Because I'm stronger than you, idiot!" The small captain replied, crossing his arms. He had long since put his Zanpakuto back in its sheath. "And because I'm stronger, that means I'll always protect you!"_

Hinamori sat against a tree, breathing heavily. She remembered a faraway memory from long ago, when they both had just recently joined the Gotei 13. Yes, Hitsugaya had said that he would always protect her, and he had. Even when she had raised Tobiume against him in a fit of rage, he still did everything he could to make sure she didn't get hurt. He had even sacrificed his own life to save hers. He had done so much for her; now it was time for her do the same.

It was this realization that had allowed to her escape from Kazumi. A split second before the final blow of the dark lord's sword, she had somehow managed to break free of his binding spell. However, she wasn't quick enough to escape harm completely; she dodged just enough to the left so that the sword cut her side instead of her throat. She backed away from the crazed Kazumi while holding her wound, which was spilling drops of crimson blood onto the green grass below. The Kidou spell she had used for light, which now floated above her head instead of in her palm, flickered as she staggered.

Kazumi's eyes flickered from her to his sword, which, to his disappointment, lacked the girl's blood. He looked up at her and smiled. "Well, this is getting interesting. No one has ever been able to break my spell before. How strange…" He flicked his tongue out and licked his lips. "This will make your blood taste so much better."

It was official: the guy was insane. Hinamori narrowed her eyes as she began muttering an incantation under her breath:

"The Blue Jay that flies in the bright blue sky,

The fox that runs on the deep green grass,

The worm that digs in the dark brown dirt,

O creatures of the world, give me your strength!

Attack spell number fifty-six: Strike of Blue Thunder!"

With this, a collection of bright blue light began to gather in her hands, and was released in a giant swirling ball towards Kazumi. He was caught off guard by her sudden attack; the kidou spell hit him square in the stomach. She didn't bother to wait and see if it had had any effect or not and immediately turned and ran to the right, hastily tearing a piece of cloth from her clothes and tying it around her wound so as not to leave a trail of blood behind.

She soon came upon a kind of forest. Ahead of her were a cluster of large trees, which greatly stood out upon the otherwise flat landscape. She ran into the cover of the large, looming objects, weaving her way through stray branches and roots. At last, when she couldn't run any further, she happened upon a small clearing between the trees, and sat with her back pressed against one. While catching her breath, she began to reminiscence about the past, and memories about her time with Hitsugaya began to flood into her brain.

She stood, stretching, and was about to leave when she heard the sound of a twig snapping behind her. She jumped slightly, her hand going instinctively to rest on Tobiume's hilt. A figure appeared from behind the tree she had been leaning against. Her heart began to flutter before he even showed himself; the spikes of hair that had been sticking out were a dead giveaway as to who it was.

Hitsugaya.

Hinamori knew that it was the real thing this time. She could feel it in her heart. She released her Zanpakuto, letting her hand fall to her side. "S-Shirou-chan?" she whispered, her voice cracking slightly as he said her name.

"Shirou-chan?" Hitsugaya said questioningly. The name sounded vaguely familiar, though he couldn't think of why it would. "Don't treat me like a kid. My name is Hitsugaya Toushirou."

Hinamori's face fell for a moment before she remembered Urahara's words: _When those in the Realm of Darkness are being hypnotized, they are gradually losing a sense of who they used to be. They start to forget everything that happened in their former lives. _So, it was natural that he didn't remember who she was at first. Her job was to help him regain his memories and bring him home before her time ran out. Speaking of which, she began to wonder how much time she had left. She couldn't judge how much time she had spent with Kazumi; she hadn't really been worrying about that then.

"You're right Shi-erm, I mean, Hitsugaya," Hinamori began, the small captain's full name sounding weird on her tongue. His attitude was definitely the same. She smiled at him, trying her best not to seem like some psychopath who randomly went around calling people strange names. "I'm Hinamori Momo." She hoped that her name would trigger something inside him.

"Hinamori…Momo?" Again, the named seemed familiar to him. But why? He couldn't remember ever seeing her before. He couldn't seem to remember anything, for that matter. His gaze drifted down to the Zanpakuto at her side, then to his own. "That sword…Can I see it?"

The question caught her by surprise, but Hinamori obediently reached down and brought the special sword out of its sheath. "This is Tobiume," she said. "My Zanpakuto." Hitsugaya stared at it, the name 'Zanpakuto' repeating inside his head. He slowly drew his own sword, and was surprised when the name Hyourinmaru popped into his head. "Is this…Hyourinmaru? Is that its name?" He wondered aloud.

"Yes! You remembered!" Hinamori said excitedly. "That's Hyourinmaru, your Zanpakuto! Do you remember anything else?" At this, she only received a blank stare from the young captain.

"Like what?" Hitsugaya asked. "What am I supposed to remember? And how do you know so much about me? Who are you?" He put the sword back in its sheath. "And why do I have this weird sword anyway? What the hell is going on?"

"Come with me back to Soul Society and you'll find out everything," Hinamori said, thinking fast. She wasn't sure if she could answer all his questions and convince him to return with her in the time remaining – however long that was. The stubborn Shinigami just crossed his arms, however, and didn't move from where he stood. "Soul Society? What is that? And why the hell should I trust you? I don't even know who you are."

_Because I'm stronger than you, idiot! And because I'm stronger, that means that I'll always protect you!_

He stopped. Where did that come from? Was it he who had said it? Had he said it to her? He looked straight at Hinamori, and was surprised to see that there were tears running down her face. "Oi, why are you crying?" he asked, taking a tentative step forward. For some reason, he felt a sharp pain in his chest at the sight of her tears; it was as if the very thought of her crying hurt him. "Oi!"

"I'm sorry. It's just…I want you to remember everything! I want you to remember _me_!" Hinamori cried, burying her head in her hands as her tears flowed harder. She silently begged them to stop. She had been crying so much lately, it was a wonder she had any more tears left. But she didn't want to cry; not now, not in front of Hitsugaya…

"Please stop crying, Hinamori," Hitsugaya said, amazed at how easily her name flowed from his tongue. Instinctively, he walked over to her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders; he did it before he realized it, as surprised at the gesture as the sobbing vice-captain was. She jerked her head up, a look of amazement on her face.

"Shirou-chan, did you-?" She started, but was cut off as she felt a sharp pain in her back. She gasped as she felt the warm substance flow down her back: blood. She turned, and saw Kazumi standing behind her.

Hinamori screamed as he pulled his sword from her back, causing more blood to flow from the wound. "You little bitch," he said, all traces of a smile gone from his face. "No one makes a fool out of me. You will pay for that." His gaze drifted from her down to his now-crimson blade. His tongue flicked out and extended towards the sword; it met with the cold metal as he licked a stray drop from the icy weapon.

Hinamori fell to her knees, the ground already dyed red. She gasped; the wound was not fatal, but it hurt like hell. Hitsugaya stood behind her, looking scared. "H-Hinamori?" he stammered, then turned to her attacker. "Why did you do that to her?" he shouted angrily. He wasn't even sure _why_ he was upset, but when he saw the small girl's blood, he felt a surge of anger bubbling inside him. His icy green eyes bore into Kazumi's blue ones, neither one about to look away. The place was silent; there wasn't even a breeze to rustle the trees.

It was Kazumi who broke the silence. "You really seem to care for that girl, don't you, _Shirou-chan_?" he said with a sneer. "But why? Do you even remember the girl? I highly doubt it."

"No, I don't," Hitsugaya said. A small smile of triumph spread over the demon's face, while Hinamori looked down to the ground. _So he doesn't remember me after all…_ "But just because I don't have any actually memories of her in my head, doesn't mean my heart doesn't remember her." Hitsugaya continued, placing a hand on his chest. "Even if my mind says it doesn't know who she is, I have this feeling in my chest that tells me she's very important to me." He glanced at Hinamori, who was staring back at him, her eyes shining with delight. He turned back to Kazumi, a harsh glare on his face. "And no matter what, I won't let you hurt her!"

For the first time in his life, the dark lord was confused. Never before had he experienced the concept of love. _How is this possible? _He thought silently to himself. _My spell has never been even the slightest bit broken before! What kind of relationship could these two possible have that could weaken even the strongest of my hypnotic spells?_ His look of confusion turned into a look of hatred as he glared at the two Shinigami. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation. _Should I kill the girl? No, then she would be here with him, and that wouldn't solve anything. So…_ He focused on the small captain as an idea popped into his head. He would kill Hitsugaya.

The Realm of Darkness was a confusing place. Yes, those there were dead, but there was nothing that said they couldn't be killed again. After all, the Shinigami are somewhat spirits already, aren't they? So if they could die in Soul Society, it was plausible that they could die in this world as well. Not that Kazumi had ever tried it before. He loved each and every soul in his realm, which was why he hypnotized them upon arrival; if they forgot all the memories from before they entered, there would be nothing to stop them from staying with him forever. So naturally, the thought of killing one of his beloved friends never crossed his mind. This time, however, he would have to make an exception.

He lunged at Hitsugaya, his sword outstretched. He aimed directly for his heart, feeling that if he at least had to kill one of his 'children,' he would at least make it fast. The small captain didn't have time to react; he just stood, unable to move, watching the sword aimed at his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the worst. A second later, he heard blood splatter to the ground; but it was not his. He opened his eyes and saw Hinamori standing in front of him, the crimson sword deep in her already-wounded back. Hitsugaya gasped. "Hinamori, what are you-?" he stopped when she looked at him, smiling.

"Silly Shirou-chan," she said, coughing slightly. "You always said that you would protect me. Now it's my turn…to protect you." She collapsed into his chest, burying her face in his white robes. "Please, Shirou-chan…remember." A single tear slid down her cheek as she looked up, stood on her toes, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Damn you!" Kazumi screamed, extremely pissed at the two standing in front of him. "I'll kill you both!" He extracted his sword and raised it, planning to slice through them both and ending their "pitiful lives", as he put it. He brought the sword down, and was about to pierce through their flesh when it stopped in midair. Kazumi's eyes widened as he saw that, in mid-swing, Hitsugaya had caught the blade with his bare hand. His free arm was wrapped protectively around Hinamori, who was pressed securely against his chest.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her," he growled, his normally green eyes red with rage. Hinamori had to smile.

Her Shirou-chan was back.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

The flashback and kidou incantation are purely my imagination. Any reference to actual material in the anime is purely coincidental. Furthermore, I personally have almost no knowledge of kidou spells, and, since all of my Bleach manga that have anything to do with kidou are currently being borrowed by friends, I have no idea if did the incantation completely wrong or not. I apologize if it is.

* * *

Wow. This is, by far, the longest chapter I've ever written, for any of my stories. There just didn't seem any good places to stop until this point. Sadly, this story will come to an end in the next chapter. Once again, I sincerely thank everyone that's stuck with this story so far. The fact that there are some people out there who are reading this and look forward to the next chapter inspires me to get the next installment out as quickly as I can. You guys all rock! 


	12. Passion

Welcome to the final chapter of Strength of Pain! This turned out to be a lot more successful than I thought it would be, viewer wise, mostly because it's my first multiple chapter story. Once again, thank you to everyone who's been supportive to me and the story. And without any further adieu, let the finale begin!

**Disclaimer: **I own Bleach! Muhahaha! gets hit on the head with Zangetsu Ok, so I don't own it…but you didn't have to hit me Ichigo! -starts throwing random objects-

* * *

Hitsugaya remembered.

All his memories came flooding back to him at Hinamori's words. _You always said you would protect me. Now it's my turn…to protect you._ Those simple words penetrated his heart, bringing back a wave of memories and emotions. He remembered the events that had led up to their current situation: the microchip that had been implanted in the small vice-captain's brain and caused her to attack him; him losing control and attacking her himself; the ritual he performed to bring her back; him waking up in this strange realm, and slowly losing a sense of who he was; using his last amount of energy to contact Hinamori one last time. The only thing he didn't know was why the girl was in the realm in the first place.

The answer would have to come later, however, seeing as now wasn't the time to be daydreaming. Hitsugaya stood facing the Kazumi, clutching the blood-soaked Hinamori tightly with one hand and gripping the bloodthirsty demon's sword with the other. The blade dug into his bare hand, causing blood to drip to the ground, but the captain didn't seem to care. The only thing that mattered to him was keeping his precious Hinamori safe, no matter what the cost.

"How is this possible?" Kazumi hissed, his anger seeping through his tough exterior and revealing itself on the madman's face. "My hypnosis has _never _been broken before. Never! I refuse to believe it!" He was extremely close to losing control of his emotions as he yanked his sword away from the two in front of him.

"Yeah? Well, shut the hell up and believe it," Hitsugaya said, his eyes cold with anger of his own. "Cause we're not playing by your rules anymore." The temperature surrounding them greatly dropped, icicles forming on the ground and the nearby trees. No, the ice master of the Tenth Division was way beyond playing around. He muttered a spell under his breath before saying, "Binding spell number thirty-four: Constricting Art of Pale Lightning!" Instantly, the demented lord was bound in place, though Hitsugaya knew it wouldn't last very long. He took the opportunity to gaze at the small girl in his arms.

"Hinamori," he whispered, reaching down and brushing a stray hair from her face. "I'm sorry it took me so long to remember. You got hurt because of me again. But I'll make that bastard pay. I swear."

Hinamori smiled. "I don't blame you, Shirou-chan. It wasn't your fault. What matters is that you're back to normal now." She was crying again, but this time, the tears streaming down the face were tears of happiness. Hitsugaya returned her smile and gently set her on the ground, promising to heal her as soon as he was done.

"Don't get too cocky, brat!" Kazumi said, his body slowly returning to normal. Indeed, the effects of Hitsugaya's kidou spell hadn't lasted long at all. Hitsugaya glared at him, one eyebrow twitching uncontrollably. "What did you just call me?" Even now, about to kick some serious ass, the small captain hated to be called a brat. Or anything that implied that he was a kid based on his appearance, for that matter.

Kazumi let out an insane laugh. "I called you a brat. What are you going to do about it, _brat?_" At this, Hitsugaya placed a hand on his Zanpakuto's hilt. "You're going to regret that," he said, releasing the sword from its sheath. "Descend upon the frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!" Instantly, his Zanpakuto changed into a large dragon, made entirely of ice and water. Hyourinmaru was now in its Shi Kai form; Hitsugaya didn't want to unleash his Ban Kai until he could see and judge his opponent's strength.

Hyourinmaru sped towards Kazumi, turning the grass and trees it touched into ice. Anyone hit with the attack head-on would turn into a human ice cube. Or, in this case, a demented demon lord ice cube. Kazumi quickly put his sword back into its sheath, held both hands out in front of him, and muttered a short spell under his breath. Right as Hyourinmaru was about to hit, a kind if shield formed at the tips of his outstretched hands. He struggled to keep the barrier up as the Zanpakuto hammered into it, causing him to flinch each time it hit the shield. After a moment, it retreated back to Hitsugaya and turned back into its normal appearance of a regular sword.

"Not bad, brat," Kazumi said, panting slightly. Due to the suddenness of the attack, he hadn't had the time to put up a proper shield; the one he had managed to make had almost collapsed under the pressure of Hyourinmaru. He smiled. "But if that's the best you can do, then you're as good as dead."

Hitsugaya smirked. "I'm already dead, dumbass," he said, holding Hyourinmaru at his side. "And that's my line. If all your little shields are as flimsy as that one, then this will be a piece of cake."

"I told you not to get cocky, kid," Kazumi said, once again taking out his sword. _Twitch._ "If you think that's the extent of my abilities, then you really are just a naïve little boy." _Twitch. Twitch. _"Just stand there and watch as I kick your ass, brat!" _Twitch. Twitch. Twitch._

Hitsugaya snapped. Once or twice he could take, but being insulted like that three times in a row was too much. His grip on Hyourinmaru tightened as he shouted, "Ban Kai!" As he said this, Hyourinmaru began to change again, only this time into something different. Bright blue wings made of ice shot from Hitsugaya's back, making the air that much colder. The actual sword stayed pretty much the same, with only a few minor changes. This was Ban Kai, the final and most powerful stage of a Zanpakuto.

Behind him, Hinamori shakily stood up as she watched the battle. When was the last time she had seen his Ban Kai? Had she even seen it before at all? Her memory was blurred as she focused only on her beloved Shirou-chan. She felt Tobiume pulse at her side, wanting to join the battle. Hinamori wanted to help fight too, but she didn't know if she would actually help or only get in the way due to her current condition. Her wounds were still bleeding, though she had cast a small healing spell with some of her remaining energy so she wouldn't die of blood loss before the fight was over; as a result, the blood came out in small drops instead of gushing out all at once. No, she decided, she would only be a burden if she tried to fight. At the moment, all she could do was watch and hope for the best. "Shirou-chan…"

Hitsugaya charged at Kazumi, holding his sword in an outstretched hand. _His speed is incredible! _The demon thought as he barely dodged the attack. Hitsugaya landed nimbly on the ground, then took off towards Kazumi again, who cursed silently to himself as he once again created a shield. This one was even weaker than the last, and easily shattered beneath the force of Hyourinmaru. The devil was flung backwards, sailing through the air until he came to a halt against one of the ice-covered trees. Hitsugaya stood in front of him, panting slightly, his Zanpakuto pointed at Kazumi's throat.

"You're annoying," the captain said, glaring at the demon in front of him. "And you hurt Hinamori. I can never forgive you for that." He was about to deliver the final blow when, to his surprise, Kazumi smiled.

"Do you actually think you've won?" he laughed. "You're even dumber than I thought." He brought out his hand, which he had been hiding behind his back. In it, he held a bright purple ball of swirling energy that was about the size of a grapefruit. Before Hitsugaya had a chance to analyze the situation, the ball was thrust into his stomach, sending _him _flying backwards this time. He landed with a loud _THUD _on the frozen ground, Hyourinmaru clattering on the ice beside him.

"Shirou-chan!" Hinamori cried, rushing over to him. Hitsugaya sat up, a hand on the wound in his stomach. It was bleeding, but it wasn't cause for worry. Still, try telling Hinamori that. "Shirou-chan, are you alright? Does it hurt? Can I help? Does it-?"

"Hinamori, calm down!" Hitsugaya said, standing back up. "I'm fine. You're hurt worse than I am; I should be the one who's worried." He smiled, placing a hand on her head, just like she used to do to him when they were younger. "Relax, ok? I'll beat this guy, and then we can go home." Of course, he didn't know for sure if he _could_ go home, but he figured the psychotic man in front of him wouldn't be trying so hard to stop them if he couldn't even leave at all.

He turned back to Kazumi, who had pulled himself out of the tree he had been blown into and was standing with his sword outstretched, ready to continue the fight. The wounds he had received earlier didn't seem to bother him much, though they were still bleeding. The disturbing thing about the blood was that it was black instead of red. Pure Black. It stood out greatly on the icy ground, contrasting with the dried blood on his sword.

"You're a persistent bastard, aren't you?" Hitsugaya said, holding out Hyourinmaru. When he had been hit with Kazumi's attack, it had unwillingly returned back to its normal form; the brilliant blue wings on his back had disappeared as well. Still, he was feeling somewhat confident. The wound he had received had nearly stopped bleeding without the need of a healing spell after just a few minutes, and it hadn't even hurt much to begin with. He had been thrown to the ground more because of the surprise of the attack rather than the actual pain.

"You're pretty annoying yourself," Kazumi replied. He had decided not to call the deadly captain 'brat' anymore. Or kid. Or any of the other insults that he had shouted before. Although he hated to admit it, the attack from his Ban Kai had hurt. A lot. No, making the Shinigami angry was _not _a good idea. Well, angrier than he already was, anyway. The reddish glint in Hitsugaya's eye proved that he was still mad, most likely about the injuries he had given Hinamori. _That may not have been such a good idea either,_ he thought. _Though her blood was tasty…_

Hitsugaya made the first move, and round two began. He charged towards Kazumi, once again releasing his Zanpakuto's Shi Kai. The giant water-ice dragon sped towards the crazed devil for the second time that day, making the frigid air so cold that Hinamori increased the power of her small Kidou spell so it gave off more heat. Kazumi, not trusting his shield, attempted to dodge it; Hyourinmaru brushed against his arm, causing it to instantly become covered in ice. Luckily for him, it wasn't the arm that held his sword.

"Attack spell number fourty-seven: Strike of Violet Wind!"

Kazumi looked up just in time to be pummeled by a gust of swirling violet light; it was like a tornado of color, shimmering in the dim light of Hinamori's flame. He slid backward on the icy ground, digging his frozen arm into the ice to stop his violent slide. The ice surrounding his arm shattered as he skidded to a stop, the jagged pieces flying in different directions; many of them sliced his arm, and soon his black blood was dripping from the many cuts that covered it. "Damn…" he muttered, as Hitsugaya charged towards him again, Hyourinmaru back to normal, prepared to thrust it through for the final blow…

And stopped.

Hitsugaya fell to one knee, gasping; beads of sweat rolled down his face as he clutched the wound he had received earlier. He looked down and saw that the dried blood had turned black and was bubbling violently. His hand began to hurt, and he removed it from the wound only to find various burn marks covering it. The bubbling blood was like acid in the way it had burned some of the skin off his hand. There was only one thing it could be.

"Ah, I see my poison had begun to take effect," Kazumi said. He had returned to his feet and walked over, stopping when he stood towering over the small captain. "I'm sure you were marveling at the fact that you felt little pain after my earlier attack, even though it hit you directly, correct? That's because it wasn't supposed to hurt. The purpose of the attack was not to necessarily harm you at the time, but you inject a poison into your blood that would start working later. It seems that 'later' would be now." He smirked, kicking Hitsugaya and knocking him over onto the hard ground.

"Shirou-chan!" Hinamori cried as she began running over to him. She stopped, however, when he gave her a sharp look.

"Stay there, Hinamori!" Hitsugaya shouted, shakily standing up to face the demon in front of him. "I don't want to risk you getting hurt." He gave her a small smile. "Besides, this is nothing. I've been in worse situations." One of the situations he was referring to was his battle with Aizen, when he had nearly been killed after just one strike of the traitorous Shinigami's Zanpakuto. He gritted his teeth at the memory. _Everything that's happened has been because of that bastard,_ he thought. _And I know he'll come back eventually. This guy is nothing compared to him. If I can't beat this demented idiot, then what chance will I have at beating Aizen when that time comes?_ He shot another glance at Hinamori, who was clutching one hand tightly in front of her in worry. _I couldn't protect you then, Hinamori. But next time I will. I swear._

"You should pay attention, brat!" Kazumi said, angry at the fact that his opponent had looked away from him. He raised his hand in a fist and brought it down, deciding to punch some sense into the small captain. Hitsugaya, however, had other plans. He ducked, dodging the blow, and raised his knee up into Kazumi's gut. The evil lord doubled over in pain, the wind temporarily knocked out of him. The Shinigami then brought his knee down, only to raise the entire leg to kick him in the exact same spot. Powered by anger and promise, the kick was strong enough to send Kazumi staggering backwards.

"You really think a little poison will take care of me that easily?" Hitsugaya said, picking up Hyourinmaru, which he had dropped when he had fallen from the poison. "You obviously don't know anything; about Shinigami, or about me. Shinigami, Death Gods, Soul Reapers…call us what you will. We were trained to fight Hollows, or whatever other bastards come our way. A captain is the highest rank in all of the thirteen squads, meaning that they're the strongest in all of Soul Society. _I'm _a captain, which means I'm a hell of a lot stronger than you. But you know what?" Hitsugaya paused, kicking Kazumi again as he tried to stand up. "That's not why I'm fighting you. I'm not fighting to prove who's strongest; it's _because_ I'm strong that I'm fighting. Because I'm strong, it's my job to protect those that are important to me. You happened to hurt the person that I care about the most. For that, you will pay. Ban Kai!"

Once again, the icy wings appeared as Hyourinmaru transformed for the final time. Hitsugaya's eyes gleamed with anger as he thrust his Zanpakuto forward. A cloud of dust surrounded the two as the energy released from the young captain caused the ice covering the ground to crack and explode. When the debris cleared, only Hitsugaya remained. "Damn," he muttered. "He ran away."

_You hurt the person that I care about the most._ Hitsugaya's words repeated over and over inside Hinamori's head. A slight blush appeared on her face as she thought about them. _Did he really mean that?_ She wondered. _Does he really care about me that much?_

Hitsugaya calmly walked over, the blood on his stomach gradually returning to normal. The effects of the poison may have been fairly strong, but they didn't appear to last long. He was soon standing directly in front of the small vice-captain. The two stood staring at each other for a moment, each looking deeply into the other's eyes. It was Hitsugaya who broke the silence.

"Thank you, Hinamori," he said, embracing her. Hinamori was startled by the sudden display of emotion. "F-for what?" she managed to mutter as her blush deepened.

"For coming all this way for me," the captain replied, slowly unwrapping his arms from around the small girl's body. "Even after what I did to you…"

Hinamori vigorously shook her head. "Don't say that!" she said. It was her turn to surprise Hitsugaya. Rarely did he see her so worked up. "It wasn't your fault! Unohana-taichou told me everything that happened. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine for trusting Aizen-taichou…I mean, Aizen in the first place. It was my fault for being so vulnerable to the chip he implanted inside me." She once again pressed herself into Hitsugaya's chest. "And after all that, you still gave your life for me. How could I not do everything I could to bring you back?" Hitsugaya was silent for a moment before once again wrapping her arms around her. And there they stood, neither one wanting to break the embrace.

It was then that Hinamori felt it. It started as a small tingling sensation, then gradually grew stronger and spread throughout her body. At first she was confused; then she remembered Urahara's words.

"We're out of time!" she cried, pulling away from Hitsugaya. "We have to go!" She grabbed his hand and began running in what she hoped was the right direction, dragging the confused captain behind her. Along the way, she explained about how she had gotten there, and that the time they had left must have been reaching its limit.

Hinamori was actually happy when she saw the river of blood. It meant that they had indeed gone in the right direction and were nearing the exit. She began to panic, however, when they arrived at what she thought was the place that she had entered and saw that there was nothing there: no sign of an exit that would lead them back to the real world.

Suddenly, a small light appeared; tiny at first, then it began to grow larger. Hinamori sighed with relief when she realized that the gate between the two worlds must have been opening. She looked at Hitsugaya, whose hand she was still clutching tightly. To her delight, he didn't try to pull away; instead, he looked very content to be holding the small girl's hand.

"Shirou-chan?" she said, looking down slightly as the blush returned to her face. "D-did you mean what you said? That I was the person you cared about the most?" She felt embarrassed for asking, but she had to know if he had really meant what he said. When she looked back up, Hitsugaya was smiling.

"Silly Momo," he said, squeezing her hand tightly. "Of course I meant it. You're very important to me. Why do you think I became a Shinigami in the first place? I wanted to protect you. When we were growing up, you would always look after me because you were older. So I vowed that I would become strong enough to do the same for you." He reached out and embraced her, hugging her much more tightly than before. "Hinamori. I love you."

Hinamori's eyes opened wide as she heard those words. Her eyes filled with tears once again, but these were tears of joy. Never in her life had she felt as happy as she did then. She wrapped her own arms around him and returned the hug. "Shirou-chan…" she sniffed, the tears pouring out like never before. "I love you too." She pressed herself deep into his chest as he stroked her hair, smiling. She looked up, quickly wiping her tears, and leaned forward.

In the growing light, the two kissed. It was a sweet and blissful moment that neither wanted to end. Then they were enveloped in the bright glow, and were soon on their way home, where they could spend an eternity together.

_The End._


End file.
